Kids are not going to be happy, but the tenuous state of the economy is a major reason for the earlier arrival of back-to-school campaigns. The goal is to encourage purchases now because of uncertainty over what the future may bring. Office Depot is partnering with One Direction; Teen vogue Magazine is heralding an August Shopping Day. Get the details.

In an effort to educate plumbers, contractors, remodelers and interior designers on its toilet-flushing technologies and innovation, Kohler has launched the “Trust the Flush” mobile tour, a custom motor coach that houses a replica of its toilet test lab at company headquarters in Wisconsin. Maybe some ideas here for your next mobile tour?

On Wednesday, Facebook announced verified pages to help users spot authentic accounts for high-profile brands and people. These pages will display a blue check mark beside the owner’s name, which will be shown on timelines, in search results and elsewhere. Qualified brands will want to get themselves verified to boost the trustworthiness of their Facebook pages. Here’s what you need to know.

CMOs are into Instagram. Here you can grab onto ideas from Starbucks, Red Bull and American Express —three big brands thriving on Instagram and how they are doing it. Brands looking to follow in their footsteps should get plenty of tips here like including adding calls to action in photos and captions.

(CMSWire) An astounding $83 billion is lost each year in the U.S. thanks to poor customer experiences, an IBM report has found. To combat this, the company recommends a number of fixes including understanding and engaging customers; evaluating and prioritizing channels and creating a consistent customer experience. This article lays out the findings, comparisons between between leaders and "all others" and how you can make improvements.